1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to diversified processing of information across a network. More particularly, the invention provides an enhanced way of updating remote platforms with update information without consuming significant amounts of bandwidth.
2. Related Information
One outgrowth of the advancement of computers is the proliferation of computer networks. Computer networks transmit information from a first computer platform to at least a second computer platform. Regularly, multiple users (and multiple computer platforms) interact in a common network environment. Some environments that require management of large amounts of information received from various users include multi-user games, common processing of documents or spreadsheets, and design of programs. The goal of allowing multiple users to enter information concerning a single item (game, document, program, spreadsheet, program) is to provide those users with the ability to update the single item and to give the users knowledge of how others are affecting that item.
Previous attempts have been made to provide an environment where each user is made part of a larger group of users. These attempts have included transmitting every change and resulting action initiated by a user to all other users. While this approach worked fine for a few users, as many more users joined in, the underlying network of computers would clog and fail.
In the approach described above, in an effort to keep all of the other users' systems updated to precisely what was happening on a given user's system, each user's system had to transmit long series of data packets containing each and every change made to each user's system. When more than a few users' systems started exchanging large amounts of information, the "bandwidth" consumed by the continuous transmissions of large amounts of information between the users would reach a point at which the underlying network would suffer. Commonly, the underlying network would not be able to handle the amount of information that needed to be constantly transferred.
Partial solutions included using faster computers, faster connections to the network (faster modems or area networks), or by limiting the number of users who could exchange information to a select few. These solutions temporarily allowed the underlying network to increase the number of users engaged in the common environment through better handling of the information transferring between the various users. However, as the environments in which the users were engaged became more complex, more information needed to be conveyed between the various users' systems. Accordingly, the underlying network would again be stressed for bandwidth.